Macron trying to make nice with Eastern Europe

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email [email protected] to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/c8cb44f2-9651-498d-840c-6dc18159226e?sharetype=blocked

Advertisement

Emmanuel Macron deployed a novel tactic this week to try to repair France’s frayed relations with Europe’s eastern flank — call it “strategic humility”. 

In a speech at a security conference in Bratislava, the French president all but apologised for not heeding warnings issued from Warsaw to Tallinn about the risks posed by Vladimir Putin’s belligerent Russia, promising they could “count on” France in future.

“Some said you had missed an opportunity to shut up. I think we also lost an opportunity to listen to you,” said Macron. “This time is over.” 

The carefully prepared line was an allusion to an infamous quip made in 2003 by then-president Jacques Chirac, who chided east European nations who sided with the US and UK on the invasion of Iraq for having the temerity to share their views.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement